Networks Pulling an OJ Trial Again and Killing Their Own Soaps

Let’s make sure the networks don’t repeat the mistakes of the past when it comes to the soap opera.

We don’t want to be unnecessarily alarmist, but we also want to call it like we see it and make sure we’re not all asleep at the wheel in the cause of the soap opera genre.

The Problem With Preemptions

Many soap fans agree with the estimation of scholars who study and think about daytime television: the OJ trial was a main factor in the soap cancellations that began in 2009. Tired of being treated to the lurid Simpson trial every time they turned on their TVs instead of their shows, soap fans just stopped turning them on–and never turned them back on.

2017 is seeing this again, with every new disaster the Trump era is witness to causing networks to cut into soaps. In our case, we at Soap Cities are totally over of hitting play on our DVR queue for our recorded soaps and seeing news where our stories should be.

Last week, when each day saw a new Trump scandal, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives hit ratings lows, according to Soap Opera Network.

No Excuse for the Disrespect

Let’s be honest: this is only happening because we’re talking about daytime. We know that The Bachelor or CSI: Whatever City wouldn’t be interrupted for news coverage. But the networks are now competing with the many 24-hour news networks for viewers, and as the lowest priority (wrongly) for networks, soaps are suffering.

We’re not saying the news shouldn’t be covered, we’re just wondering why, when the networks have nightly news broadcasts, when often have their own sister cable news networks dedicated solely to news, when there’s the option of putting news in a crawl at the bottom of the screen, when they have news websites, and when they have news apps, that the news must supersede and replace daytime serials. It seems like needless, cavalier–and harmful–behavior.

And Tweet anyone and everyone you can think of that might have a say in this matter. And visit their Facebook pages to leave messages.

Give us your input in the comment section below. Check back with Soap Cities for more soap opera spoilers, recaps, news, and fun! Follow us on Twitter at @soapcities, on Instagram at @soapcities, and come chat with us in our Facebook group. Check your local listings to find out when your favorite shows air.

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Akbi Khan has been watching and loving soap operas for 31 years and writing about them for the last four. She also loves sitcoms; musicals; laughter; going dancing; spending time with family and friends; fighting for animal rights, ethical environmental stewardship, civil liberties preservation, and LGBTQ rights; and evolving along a spiritual path. She has a Master’s in rhetoric and composition. Akbi is 39 years old and lives in Ellicott City, Maryland.

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